A Time or Two
by The One With A Name
Summary: Falco Lombardi has a past he wants to forget. But when Star Fox gets a call to Zoness, he discovers that his past struggles are far from over... Some FalcoKatt, and a little bit of KattOC.
1. Chapter 1

My first story on the site, please give your feelings. This chapter is a foreshadowing flashback introduction, and a basic recap of the events of the series up until Assault. Skip to the next chapter to begin.

--------------------14 years ago-----------------------

This was the place to be, truly. And to think, just a week ago, he'd been down in the dumps. He still shuddered when he thought about how many times he had looked at that pistol in his drawer and considered it. Maybe Manson had been right. Maybe he just didn't have the spine to go all the way. But if the spineless guys got action like this, then he was one bird who would be just fine with no backbone at all.

Katt Monroe: He'd known her his whole life, but for as close as they had been all these years, he didn't ever think he would get this close. No, he wasn't in bed with her yet, but at this rate, he'd have her in just a few minutes. He considered himself quite the bad boy, and he knew how the feline felt about that. This was the only time of his life he felt like there was no guilt, no evil, no other thing in this world. Just him, and her.

But they say reality can be an extremely cruel thing. Now, he didn't believe in philosophy and all that, but one word echoed through that room at that moment, filled with so many emotions simultaneously, that to him, it sounded like it might be the end of the world. He and Katt quickly broke the embrace as they beheld the wiry figure standing in the doorway, rings running around his snout, and everything else. But he didn't see the rings, all he saw were the eyes.

"Falco?!"

------------------Present Day--------------------

Falco Lombardi sat in the dining hall of the team's ship, the Great Fox. To be honest, it really belonged to Fox McCloud, the Star Fox team's leader. It had belonged to his old man before he croaked, and then his best friend passed it down to Fox. Fox took up the mantle of the team leader position at only the age of 19. Falco and Slippy were there also. Slippy was younger, but Falco was older, though not by much. Them and Peppy (Basically Fox's Godfather, and a member of the old team) had formed the new Star Fox.

They fought the evil scientist, Dr. Andross Oikonny, and his forces for years. Eventually, the team broke up. Falco left to seek more thrill, Slippy went to work on Corneria- the Lylat captial- with his dad in the R&D department, and Peppy retired. Fox went solo for a while (found a chick in the process) and saved some far-off planet from certain destruction, then beat Andross again.

The girl he met, named Krystal, joined him and became the team's new fourth member, after Falco and Slippy rejoined. A year or two later, they were back in action. Parasites were trying to assimilate planets, and guess who headed the defense. We found old friends, new friends, weird friends, old enemies who turned out to be, well, not quite enemies, and stopped evil again.

And now Team Star Fox had nothing to do but mundane patrol runs. Of course, you never knew where you were gonna find trouble. He certainly had run into trouble in the least expected places before. Truth be told, Falco Lombardi attracted trouble. But everything was safe, now. All his friends were safe, the Lylat system was safe. And in the end, that was all he really cared about, although he would never let that come out of his mouth. He had a reputation to protect.


	2. Chapter 2

"Star Fox!" Exclaimed General Pepper over the holographic projector. All of the team members jumped to attention to watch as Fox conversed with him. "Yes, General?" replied Fox, prompting the hound to continue his briefing. "We have a situation on Zoness. Insurgents of unknown allegiance have started causing trouble. Our intelligence points to an attempt to sabotage our clean-up efforts. We can't spare any forces right now, so we need you to investigate." Fox looked confused. "Why would they try to re-pollute Zoness?" He asked. The simple reply came from Krystal: "Terrorists." Fox didn't look too happy at that. A long silence followed.

The silence broke when Pepper chimed in. "Fox, can you handle it?" The team leader looked around at the other members, then finally answered with determination. "We'll do it." After Pepper thanked them and signed off, Fox turned to the ship's resident robot, ROB. "ROB, set a course for Zoness, and get the Arwings ready." He ordered. Immediately obeying, ROB began punching coordinates into the computer. Falco decided he was thirsty. "I'm going to get a drink, I'll be right back." He said, walking off. But before he got to the exit, Fox interrogated him. "Falco, doesn't it bother you, about these people?" He asked. Falco turned and looked Fox in the eyes. "Relax," He said, "It's just a bunch of clowns trying to stir up trouble. Nothing important ever happens on Zoness, remember?" Fox was silent as he thought about that. He was about to mention their meeting with Katt almost nine years ago on Zoness, but Falco was already gone.

---------Later---------

"Fox, I don't think there's anyone here. Everything is working fine. Maybe we should move on." Said Slippy over the intercom. It was hard to tell anything because of the stormy weather, but it was better than the mortifying pollution Andross had spread here years ago. Zoness was essentially a more turbulent version of Aquas, Slippy's home planet, and the place where he met his fiancée, Amanda.

But more to the point, all the platforms looked normal now. No terrorists in sight. But Fox still wasn't sure. "It just doesn't seem right. General Pepper said there were troublemakers. Let's check out that platform." He ordered. But no sooner had he given that order than another face came onto the intercom. This one was that of a spider, his mandibles moving back and forth as he spoke. "Look, boys, it's Star Fox! Let's give Lylat a warm welcome! Charge!" He said, as about thirty to forty ships came flying off the platform. "Whoa!" Exclaimed Krystal, who happened to be right in the middle of the onslaught. Her ship took a hit on the left side, but she quickly corkscrewed around and let loose a barrage of laser fire, tearing through several of the ships.

Fox radioed in to Falco. "Falco, try to get around behind them, we'll take them from the front. Divide and conquer!" Falco nodded and confirmed the order, then flew over the platform and fired a bomb at the insurgent ranks. The well-placed bomb wiped out their rear flank, and apparently, they knew it, because half of their forces turned on him. Another face appeared on the intercom. "One guy! Let's take him out!" As the small swarm of ships came fast at him, he flew back at them, dodging and rolling to the best of his ability while firing. He took out a few of them, but he was taking more damage himself. There were just too many. He spun around and got ready for another pass when he noticed it.

The flashing red lights down on the platform. That anti-air guns were getting ready to fire. Falco was helplessly screwed and he knew it. As they aimed at the skies, he shut his eyes tight and waited for his death to come. It wasn't until the surprised chatter of his teammates came over the intercom that he opened his eyes to see that the anti-air guns had fired at the enemy ships instead. But how? Before he could radio the platform to get the situation, something bigger came. The spider's face appeared over the intercom again, and this time he was pretty angry.

"No way! Oh well, let's see how you like my new invention!" Falco took that as a bad omen and flew back to the team. Not a moment too soon as it happened, because the machine that came over the platform was _huge!_ What could only be described as a giant, mutant, mechanical mosquito now flew toward team Star Fox. After the initial silence, three laser beams emitted from it's front side, forcing the team to split up. Falco and Krystal darted right, while Fox and Slippy went left. "Krystal, you and I'll distract it while Slippy figures out how to beat it! Aim for the wing!" He said to Krystal. She confirmed, and then flew around behind it. "Krystal, the wing!" Exclaimed Falco, but no use. He fired all the lasers he had into it, but nothing. He tried shooting it elsewhere, but that only served to make it mad. It turned to him and prepared to fire it's lasers again.

Falco flew over it's head and came out behind it, ready to flip and come out fighting. But Slippy's voice and face became perceptible, an answer to Falco's pleas to God. "Guys, aim for the hatch above it's tail end, then fire a bomb in once the opening's exposed!" He explained. Various 'roger's were heard, but Falco was already too busy. The others joined him in shooting the weak point. The machine turned around, but they just got behind it and continued barraging it, until a small opening opened where the tail was.

"Alright, let's hit it home!" Exclaimed Falco excitedly. This was met with dead silence. "Someone fire a bomb." He repeated. He was all out. The familiar female voice of Krystal was the first to respond to him. "Falco we don't have any more bombs." His beak dropped wide open. "WHAT? How do we destroy it?!" There was a long silence, so long that when a whooping call broke it, Falco almost jumped out of his cockpit. "That all you got?" Fox quickly ordered them all to retreat as another ship flew in, and fired a bomb directly through the opening. A final message of "No fair." Was heard from the pilot of the huge, insectoid ship before it exploded brilliantly, in bursts of green and orange.

Falco immediately set up a link with the ship that had saved them. "Who the hell do you think you are?" He demanded. The face that replied to him made his breath stop. He never thought he would see it again. The voice was deep and a little bit gravelly. Only a little bit. "I think I'm someone you know." The pilot replied. "I'll meet you at your ship, Falco." The face disappeared, leaving questions to be asked. "Falco, who was that?" Requested Fox. Falco replied with three simple words, then was silent.

"That was Ringo."


	3. Chapter 3

Falco was, by his own intention, the last one into the hangar of the Great Fox. He took a deep breath to get ready for what might transpire while he was here. All these years, and there was a very small list of things he had prayed many nights would not happen. Meeting Ringo again was the last and biggest one on his list. But he hadn't expected it to be so sudden. As his ship docked, he looked over and could already see the jagged-looking ship that stood out from the Arwing Mk. IIs there. It's wings were each designed into four forks, which could conceal a number of weapons. The cockpit was set firmly in the middle, but it was empty, which set the blue-feathered bird even more on edge.

The rest of the team was waiting back in the living room. Falco felt as if he would be sick as he prepared to walk through the doors. When he did, things were a little different than he had ever envisioned. He had always imagined that the enigmatic fifth figure on the ship would be separate from the others, sort of alienated. Had it been the Ringo he had last seen, this would undoubtedly have been the case. But this was not the bitter, angry man he used to know. The man sitting on the couch right now had the look of a grown man, mature, adult. Could Ringo Perez really have come such a long way? It reminded Falco of his own growth since joining Star Fox.

Ringo Perez was a raccoon, that much could easily be told from the telltale rings that ran all across the surface of his body. But the second thing that took Falco by surprise in the apprehensive moments of deafening silence that followed, was that this man was extremely muscular. When he last saw Ringo, they'd been of the same size and build. Of course, Falco had grown considerably more fit himself over the years, but Ringo was a beast compared to what he used to be. Only in size, though. He looked very mature.

The silence lasted for hours, it seemed, before Ringo broke it with words that made the bird shudder with feelings of the past. "Hello, Falco." Falco shrugged. "That it? 'Hey, what's up?' and then all of the stuff we said and did is gone?" The smile on Ringo's face was gone, replaced now by a look of reflective sadness. "That stuff will always haunt us. But, I guess sometime in there, I did learn a lesson. I forgave you. Did you forgive me?" He asked, looking at who appeared to be his friend. His friend nodded. "I did. It looks like we both grew up since then." Falco walked down into the area and sat down on a makeshift couch.

"How's Katt?" Asked Ringo. "I hope she's alright." Falco held his hands up placatingly, trying to calm down his eager-to-repent old friend. "Katt's fine, she's made a living on her own." He left out the part where they were dating, and a quick glance around told the others to leave it as well. "How about you? How have you been?" Ringo shrugged. "Alright, I guess. After I got out, I went and got an identity, you know, went legit. I decided to live on the right side of the law for a change. But what about you? I didn't know you were on Star Fox. I didn't really think mercenary business was legal."

"Well, we usually work for Corneria, so that puts us on the right side of the law, but others, like Star Wolf, they really don't care."

"Star Wolf?"

"Rival team. Not affiliated."

"Ah. Any one we know on that team?" Falco cast a glance around, then answered. "Yeah, actually. Remember Leon Powalski?" Ringo's eyes widened. "Crazy Lee from the old gang? He's a mercenary, too?" Falco nodded. "Yeah. Run into him a bunch of times in the Lylat Wars and since." Ringo looked at the ground. "No kidding. Did you kill him?" Falco was taken a little aback by the question. "No, he's still alive. Star Wolf helped us fight these things called...Aparoids. Yeah. The Aparoids are-" He realized he was getting ahead of himself. "Never mind. I'll explain that later."

The Star Fox team sat down at the table for what dinner they had.. The ship was far from lavish, not even at the level of the original ship. They still had to finish catching up on all they had lost with the destruction of the original Great Fox. Peppy Hare, a now-retired member of Star Fox, had been forced to pilot the Great Fox straight into the Aparoid nest to open a path for Fox and the rest of the team to destroy the Aparoid's queen.

The Aparoids, as Falco had explained it, were a bunch of bugs (Slippy classified them as 'parasites') who tried to take over the Lylat system by turning everybody into one of them. General Pepper, widely considered one of the greatest heroes in the history of the Cornerian armed forces, and the long-time leader of the forces, nearly got taken over ('assimilated') by the Aparoids during the conflict. Falco didn't quite know what to think when the order came through to destroy General Pepper's flagship. He was willing to have his own friends kill him to stop himself from becoming a monster. He had even Falco's respect for that. Pepper, of course, had escaped, with the help of Peppy, who proceeded to sacrifice himself to help Fox.

Peppy was presumed dead until shortly after the battle, when he turned up in an escape pod from the Great Fox along with ROB. Slippy was eternally grateful that ROB had made it, and he let everyone know it, too. Rebuilding something as complicated as ROB would be at least a year's work for even Slippy.

Ringo listened with interest to all the stories Falco told him, taking all this in. But Pepper had fallen deathly ill just two days ago. In the absence of a replacement, Star Fox's contract with the Cornerian military was on a temporary hiatus. After Falco told his stories to Ringo and caught him up to speed, the subject of conversation switched quickly, at Fox's behest, to where their next job was coming from.

"I think Bill might have some work for us." Said Fox. Falco scoffed. "On Katina? As if. There's nothing for outlaws to gain on Katina. The only trouble there is what Bill's gonna eat for supper." Fox got annoyed, and it showed. "Fine. Where do you suggest we look for work, Falco?" Falco held his hands up. "I'm not choosing. Slippy?" Slippy looked back up from his thoughts. "Huh?" He said, flustered. Fox peered at him. "What's with you lately, Slippy? You're usually more prudent."

"Sorry." Apologized Slippy. "It's just, uh, I don't want to start work on the Great Fox yet. Tired and all that, so why don't we go somewhere like, say, Aquas?" He sounded a little more hopeful than most of them would expect. No-one objected as they looked at each other and shrugged.

"Aquas sounds good."

"I hear they're still cleaning up from the Aparoid invasion. Let's go for it."

"I need a vacation anyway. Yeah."

"Um, yeah. Let's go."

After hearing the mutual agreement, Fox said finally, "Alright, we're going to Aquas. Slippy, help ROB prep for departure. Falco, you and Ringo go check the messages, see if anything's come through. Krystal, you come with me and Slippy." A brief glance passed between Fox and Krystal before Fox raised his arms and proclaimed "How about now?" And everyone scurried off to do their duties.

"And this is the communications room. Maybe not as spectacular as you were hoping for, but it gets the job done." He walked over to the console, turned it on, then turned to Ringo. "Hey, Ringo, could you check the messages for me? I gotta use the bathroom. Just click 'transmissions', then click 'new'." He asked. Ringo nodded. "Sure." Falco rushed off to do his business while Ringo checked on the computer.


	4. Chapter 4

Falco came back into the room to find Ringo issuing a message to somebody. "Woah, woah, woah, what are ya doing, Ringo?" Interjected the bird. Ringo turned his head around to look at Falco, then resumed with the message. "I'm sending a shout-out to Edie. He's my partner, I left him in the dark for a little bit while I found you guys. I'm telling him to meet us on Aquas." Falco looked at him quizzically. "We don't even know where on Aquas we're staying." Ringo paused his typing for a minute, then continued. "I'll tell him that I'll keep him posted." Falco sighed. "Whatever you say, boss-man." At that, Ringo looked at him for a moment, during which the air was quite tense. Ringo hadn't been called 'boss-man' in a long time. At length, Falco left the room. "I'll wait outside, Ring." Ringo nodded, the warmth in his face returning as soon as the silence was over. "Yeah, I'll be done in just a minute."

--10 minutes later--

The Great Fox finally jumped into inner-space. Making the jump was a little tricky, because of the exceedingly crappy engines, but after a short degree of trying, Slippy and ROB finally got the rusted contraptions to make the jump.

As they all felt the weird effects of inner-space taking effect, Falco brought up another debate, of which he was reminded in his conversation with Ringo. "Where are we going to stay, Fox?" Fox didn't turn around, but silently processed the point. They could probably afford a motel, albeit not a very good one. But before he could answer, Slippy came out with a solution. "My father is head of the Cornerian R&D department, maybe he could help us out." Falco didn't object. Beltino Toad had done nothing but save them during the Aparoid conflict, although he might not be happy to find out that the most recent help he was needed for was a loan for rent, much less from his son and his friends.

It was hard to say, exactly. They were approaching the end of the inner-space route now, and they'd be arriving on Aquas soon after. Fox nodded after thinking about it. "Alright. Slippy, you can call your dad after we get out of here and ask him for a place to stay. But we can't really do anything until we're out of inner-space. Once we get there, we'll form a plan of action. "Til then, we just... chill out, I guess." Falco chuckled a little. 'Chill out' was a very rare term to hear from Fox McCloud.

After a few minutes of waiting, the familiar lurch was felt by the ship's occupants as the craft emerged from it's super speed flight. Falco heard Ringo gasp as the beautiful blue planet suddenly appeared in plain view. The expanse of space stretched out before them infinitely, with the eye-catching view of the gorgeous blue planet of Aquas occupying most of their plain of sight for the time being. Ringo rose to get a closer look, but immediately fell to the ground as something rocked the ship hard.

After regaining his balance, Fox shouted "ROB, what the hell was that? Who's shooting us?" ROB's reply was unrelated. His monotonous voice proclaimed "Incoming transmission. Patching through." They all gazed at the main screen as a wolf appeared on the main monitor, a mechanical eyepatch covering one eye, the other peering in hatred. "McCloud, you traitorous slime! We had an agreement, and you tipped them off to us. Now you die!"

Fox shook his head and denied it. "Wolf, we haven't given any information as to your location. We didn't even know where you were!" However, rather than a reply from Wolf, the gray-furred lupine's face vanished, replaced by that of a sinister-looking chameleon. "Save it, Star Fox! You betrayed us, now you will fight or perish where you stand!" After Leon's face disappeared, Ringo looked at Falco. "Falco! Was that-"

"-Yeah, that was Leon. Now come on, let's go!" He said, more of a command than a suggestion. The rest of the team was already mostly to the door when they took off down the hallway. The shield was already at 50 when Team Star Fox reached the ship hangar, and Star Wolf was going light on them. Very light, obviously, since the poorly protected new vessel's shields were still intact. Fox, of course was the first to take off. Their ships were still damaged from the fight with the insurgents on Zoness, except Ringo's, because the new craft had no sort of repair apparatus built in. As such, Falco flew out of the hangar with his shields already at 40.

They quickly dropped to 34 as a burst of laser fire hit him hard, right after his emergence from the hangar bay. Leon's face appeared on his tiny dashboard screen, and spoke with venom. "You just couldn't handle the competition, could you, Lombardi?" Falco snarled at the false accusation. "Listen, Green Goblin, we didn't spread any news about you." Leon scoffed at this. "Don't insult me, Bird Boy, it's all over the news. Well, if we're going down, we'll at least kill the traitors who ratted us out!" He yelled with another burst of laser fire that took Falco's shields down to 29.

"Crap." Said Falco. "Somebody get this guy off me!" He requested. In answer, a charged laser shot flew in from the left and hit the Wolfen on Falco's tail, causing a surprised yell from Leon. Ringo's face appeared on the monitor as he taunted. "If it isn't my good old buddy Powalski." The look on Leon's face when he appeared on the monitor was priceless. Falco would be playing back through this dialogue many times, just to see that face. "The raccoon?! Where did you come from? I thought you and Lombardi-" He was cut off by Ringo. "Enough! I'm gonna do what I couldn't back then!"

Another face appeared on the monitor, this one was Panther Caruso, a pilot with Star Wolf who held affection for Krystal. His message was simple enough. "Krystal, why?" Falco couldn't see Krystal's face, but he imagined it was not looking very happy. Wolf's face took over. "Cut it out, Panther! Kill her! Gak!" The rival leader shook as he took fire under the combined laser cannons of Fox and Slippy.

"Keep on 'em, guys." Said Fox, trying to ignore Krystal's silence. Leon had pulled back a bit after being ambushed by Ringo. Falco and Ringo simultaneously did a 180 and came back at him, who was coming right back at them. As they closed the distance to about a mile and a half, the three of them started firing. Falco managed to dodge most of the enemy's shots, but at the last minute, Leon pulled a barrel roll and deflected several shots off in various directions. One of them hit Ringo's underside. "Ow, I'm hit!" He exclaimed, briefly going into a wild spin. That was all the time Leon needed. The lizard did another 180 and came in with full automatic fire.

"Ringo!" Exclaimed Falco. But too late. Ringo's shields were barraged brutally by Leon's laser fire. Falco came back around, But Leon flew right under him. "I'm too beat up, I'm drawing back to the Great Fox. Take him out, Falco." Said Ringo before retreating back to the ship. Falco angrily made another pass around and pounded out shots at Leon with full force, determined to take him out. But rather than make the full pass, Falco pulled a 180 before he reached Leon, putting the reptile right under him as he started the other way. Leon swore profusely as he vainly attempted to evade his nemesis.

But Leon was helpless. Falco watched the reticule lock on around the enemy Wolfen, and, at the opportune time, solidly pressed the button just above the trigger. He watched as the small red orb sought out it's target, and found it. A bright red flash lit up Falco's plane of vision as Leon yelled, his face contorted in confusion. When the explosion cleared, Leon's ship was still intact, but badly damaged. Finally satisfied, Falco looked over to see how the others had done. He had mentally blocked out all the messages that went back and forth between the various pilots during his own dogfight.

Looking over, he could see Slippy had taken too much damage and drawn back to the ship. Fox had done the best, though. While hardly scratchless, he had emerged from his fight with Wolf in fairly good condition. Krystal had taken more damage than Fox, but that was to be expected. Panther was an expert pilot. No match for Falco, of course, but he was no walk in the park either.

Fox was the first to address the rival mercenaries. "Why did you guys attack us?" He demanded. Wolf's face appeared. He was panting, and blood trickled down the side of his face. "Don't act as if... you don't know, Fox. You promised me you wouldn't tell. But you did. Lying isn't in your nature, Fox. What would your father think?" Fox's face then visibly grew much angrier. However, rather than yelling, he simply warned menacingly, "Mention my father again and I'll finish you off, Wolf." Wolf O'Donnell snarled in retaliation. "I'll be seeing you again soon, Star Fox." After he said this, the Star Wolf team simultaneously jumped to inner-space.

Falco sat back and let out a sigh in his cockpit as he flew slowly back towards the Great Fox to figure out what the hell those guys were talking about.

NOTE: The promise thing between Fox and Wolf is made up. I make up stuff like that for story's sake. At least it works.


	5. Chapter 5

Falco pulled in right after Fox, the seconds ticking away ever slower as the magnetic clamps attached to his ship and he opened the cockpit, jumping out immediately. Ringo was running a frustrated hand through the fur on top of his head as he surveyed the extensive damage to his fighter. "Aw, man!" He exclaimed as he found half of his wing missing. "Where did Powalski get a ship like that? It made mincemeat out of my fighter!" He said to Falco, clearly frustrated. "No time to explain, I've gotta find Fox." Ringo shook his head. "He dashed through here, probably to the bridge. The frog said his pop is some kinda high-ranking technical wiz, right?" He asked. Falco nodded, but took off for the bridge before he could resume the conversation. Ringo looked after his life-long friend as he rushed off to find out...something or other.

-------------------

"Lombardi, what was that?!" Demanded Mansen, the gang leader. He was mildly muscular, like most of the other members. But he was the leader because not only had he started the gang, but his violent temper often got the best of his 'co-workers'. He was a badger, as his temper would lead many to assume, and thus was not exactly easy on the eyes.

The action in question was a daring ride through a public park in the middle of Corneria City. Lombardi had pulled a number of risky stunts, and was nearly caught at several points. Mansen was now livid. "You know what would've happened if you'd gotten caught? They'd ask you questions. Maybe ones you can't answer, I don't freakin' know." He didn't say freaking. The blue bird shoved him off. "Listen up, I don't care what gang you're the leader of, you need to learn that there isn't anybody who can catch Falco Lombardi!" He exclaimed arrogantly.

He was wearing a black leather biker outfit, with goggles on top of his head, a kid of 17. The leather was hot in the sun, but right now, they were in a dimly lit back room in a bar, their own private gang hangout. His friend Ringo Perez put a hand on his shoulder. "Fal, maybe we should just cool it." Falco brushed off his friend's hand. "I got this, Ringo." Before he could start at Mansen, the gang leader beat him to the punch. "We don't need a bunch of hotshot know-it-alls in this, we need people who do our jobs, and don't get caught!"

Falco chuckled. "We need people who do our jobs." He mimicked Mansen. "It's a biker gang. We live for thrill. You make this sound like accounting or something." Mansen's anger escalated yet again. "Lombardi! We only took you in because your deadbeat parents bit off more than they could chew, and your whiny little brother got auctioned off, while you were left for dead! You wanna end up that way, Lombardi? Sleeping with the fishes?" Now Falco simply lost it. He grabbed the gang leader's throat and slammed him against the nearest wall. His statement was laced throughout with various profane wards and names. "Listen to me! My mom and dad were not deadbeats! They got murdered by scum like you! You put me in the gang because I'm better than you! I stand down here every day and watch over you because whether you like it or not, you need me there because you wouldn't be alive without me! You don't know me! I'll kill you! I'll kill you here!" He continued ranting on even after the other gang members pulled him off and punched him repeatedly. Soon, his breath was too far gone for him to continue.

"You'll never amount to anything, you spineless, scumbag bird. You'll never be able to go all the way." Gasped Mansen. "You are out! If you're still in this bar in thirty seconds, I'll have you killed!" Falco stood, and was grabbed bodily by Leon Powalski. Ugh, he hated Leon. The lizard threw him out of the room, and Falco quickly scrambled out of the bar, followed by Ringo, who had shouted back his own resignation as he left. Leon and another thug followed them out to make sure they left.

Once they were clear of the vicinity, Ringo sighed. "Falco, why'd you have to go and do that?" Falco shot an annoyed look at the raccoon. "Shut up, Ringo. I'll go freelance. I'll show that piece of (crap) why he needs me." Ringo shrugged. "At least I've got Katt. For however long. Falco peered over at Ringo. His best friend had been dating Katt for several months. Their relationship didn't seem close to ending to him. "What do you mean, 'For however long'?" He asked. Ringo sighed. "She seems more distant now. I don't know how much longer she'll stay with me." Falco looked at the ground, not really wanting to say anything. He did it anyway. "Ah well, you'll still be friends, right? If not, at least you'll always have me." He said. The two friends burst into laughter as they walked toward the apartments.

--------------------

Falco emerged onto the bridge to find the rest of the team already there. He guessed Fox was waiting for all of them to say what was to be said. On the main monitor was the latest news report, and sure enough, the main headline read "Mercenaries Found On MacBeth". The article went into detail about how Fox McCloud, the leader of the honorable Star Fox Team, had revealed the location of Team Star Wolf, a band of more dangerous mercenaries that had long been on the Cornerian military's most wanted list.

Falco joined the others in dropping his jaw. "How? Fox, you didn't-?" He cut himself off, and was answered by an incredulous Fox. "No, I did not turn Wolf and the others over to the authorities! This is ridiculous! We've got to know who's responsible for this!" Slippy adopted a particularly inquisitive look and fired off a question at Fox that apparently had been bothering him for a while. "Fox, Wolf mentioned that promise back there that you told us about. But you've never exactly told us what the promise was."

Fox's head lowered. "It was after Wolf saved me from those Aparoids on Corneria. I met him off the record, because it turned out they'd been hired to do another job that conflicted with my own interests." Falco nodded understandingly. It probably had to do with a high-ranking Cornerian official. But he didn't see where this was going. He let Fox continue. "So, in exchange for their abortion of the task they were hired for, I made a promise to Wolf that I would allow them to go into hiding, and never reveal where they were hidden." Looking around, it was clear in the team's eyes that they wanted to know what the job was. The door's pneumatic hiss broke the silence as Ringo sauntered into the room, and was immediately stricken by the silence. Fox didn't let it distract him, and finished. "I promised him this, so that..." He took a deep breath.

"...So they wouldn't kill Krsytal."


	6. Chapter 6

During the awkward silence that followed, everyone looked at Krystal, even ROB. Krystal herself was gaping at the revelation. He made a pact with Star Wolf, to save her? At first, it appeared she was touched, but this impression was dispelled quickly, as her face turned to an expression of anger.

"You did it to save me?" Fox looked at her and firmly repeated. "Yes, Krystal. You were marked for assassination. Star Wolf got hired to carry out the hit, and I promised Wolf not to reveal him if he didn't." Krystal's tone was indignant. "And who says I need saving? We beat Star Wolf, Fox. And they wouldn't do that. They helped us, remember?" Fox released a pent up sigh. "No, Star Wolf helped us to save their own skins. The Aparoids threatened everyone, even them. They had to help us or die." Krystal was about to reply, but Fox already knew what she was thinking. "Panther wouldn't have stopped them. He takes orders from Wolf and Leon. I guarantee you they would have killed him if he hadn't done it."

"I can take care of myself, Fox."

"They're experts, Krystal. We only beat them at Sargasso because they fought fairly."

"You're unbelievable!" She exclaimed, before storming off to the back rooms with an irritated yell. Fox looked around at the others as if asking "What did I do?" This was met with a number of shrugs and various other "I don't know" expressions. "Leave her for now, Fox. She'll understand soon." Advised Peppy, a hare of advanced years and experience. Fox looked at him inquisitively, and asked him "Are you sure?" Peppy nodded. "I was married for ten years, Fox, with three children, all of 'em grown now. I know when not to talk. Not to mention my time with James and...Pigma." Pigma's name was whispered. Peppy hated him more than anyone else in Lylat, and the whole team knew it. Pigma himself hadn't hesitated for a moment to make his relation to Peppy and Fox quite clear when he fought them with Star Wolf about eight years ago, during the Lylat Wars.

"I guess you're right." Said Fox. During the dramatic tension, Ringo had been the only one to notice that the new Great Fox was now entering the atmosphere, resulting in lots of shaking. The shaking went on for a long time, until at length, Falco could tell Ringo was getting the leathery skin feeling of the large amounts of extreme vibration. Finally, when it seemed that they could have missed the planet entirely, they breached the atmosphere and clouds, bringing everything into full view. Ocean stretched before them. It went on forever, it appeared, but for one very large city rising from the waves. This was Kraisin City.

Magnetic pins attached to the Great Fox's hull to hold it in place as the exit ramp lowered. The first to emerge, of course, was Fox, the leader. Peppy emerged next, as the team's official advisor, although he was growing a little too old to even do this, traveling around all the time. Slippy came next, followed closely by Falco and Ringo, and Krystal reluctantly at the back.

A surprised cry of joy was heard from Slippy Toad as he spotted a familiar face in their hangar. "Dad!" He cried, as he embraced his father, who returned it. Beltino Toad was about as old as Peppy, his skin a deep green. He even wore eyeglasses like Peppy's, and elegant gray hair fell all the way down his back. His resemblance to Slippy was uncanny and unmistakable, even at first sight. The team had, of course, met him before, when he gave them the virus to kill the Aparoids. Before that, he had designed a special submarine vehicle (which Slippy helped build) to fight Emperor Andross's Venomian forces here on Aquas.

"Dad, what are you doing here?" Asked Slippy. Beltino chuckled and replied. "Well, I was already here on business. I got a call from my Corneria office telling me you needed help finding a place to stay while looking for work here?" He summarized, ending by looking down his glasses at his son, waiting for an answer. Slippy looked at the ground and hesitantly answered. "Yes." The elder Toad shrugged. "Very well. I already secured a room for you. But I do hope you find some good work." The rest of the team stood back and let Slippy talk for now.

"Yes, sir." Replied Slippy, with a suddenly cheerful disposition. He looked back at the others, who quickly stepped forward to greet the team mechanic's dad. Beltino shook hands and exchanged greetings with all of them, until he finally came to Ringo. He peered unfamiliarly at the raccoon. "And who is this?" He postulated. Falco spun and came over to him. "Oh, this is Ringo Perez, he's an old friend of mine." He explained. Beltino nodded and smiled, although he still looked curious. "I've seen you somewhere before, but anyway, it's nice to meet you." Ringo returned the greeting. Beltino Toad gave them the address and quickly saw them off.

It appeared Beltino had spared no expense for them. Falco actually felt a little bad for being so dependent. The apartment the old man had booked for them was impressive. With two couches, three TV sets, and a stunning view, it made him feel kind of guilty, and it showed that the others felt it too.

"Wow," Said Slippy, "I didn't mean for him to get us first class. We're only gonna be here for a day or two, right?" He said, looking at the others. Fox was looking around the room, while Krystal looked out the balcony window at the beautiful Kraisin City. It was quite a sight for sore eyes since Baccoon's defeat, especially to it's natives. And it was night, causing the city lights to illuminate the skyline in a way nothing else really could. It was almost like those Aurora Borealis on some planets.

Peppy yawned loudly and lethargically. "I'm going to sleep. I call the bed. The rest of you can sleep on the floor." He said in his Southern accent. Slippy turned around and muttered under his breath about it, before announcing "Me too. See you all in the morning." He picked a spot on the couch and drifted off quicker than anyone had seen him go before.

A few more mutters of 'good night' came from Fox and Falco, before they collapsed to the floor and slept as well. At last, only Ringo and Krystal were left awake. Krystal was still sitting at the window, staring into the Aquasian night. She had not spoken a word since they'd arrived, and Fox, acting on Peppy's advice, had made the silence reciprocal. Ringo sat on the empty couch and gazed around, at the room, and at her. "You're pretty pissed at Fox, yeah?" He inquired. Krystal was silent for a moment, then turned to look at him and replied. "Something like that."

Ringo looked thoughtfully at the ground. "I know what it's like to be mad at someone you hold very dear. Actually, I probably know it better than you. And unlike you, I wasn't mad at them for protecting me." He said, with a hinting tone. Krystal turned around and looked at him inquisitively. "You mean... you were mad at Falco?" Asked the vixen. "No. Well, kind of..." Ringo trailed off, looking for words, while Krystal waited. "I was mad at him for something that probably wasn't even real." He looked at Krystal's eyes, then got up and walked toward her. "Tell me, if Falco isn't with her anymore," He didn't specify who 'she' was, "Then maybe he's with you?"

Krystal could see the advance coming almost before it happened. The moment had just become extremely awkward. She looked nervously at the ground. "No, he isn't." She said tersely. "Hehe. Then, maybe..." Krystal got up and walked toward a spot near Fox's. "I guess I am really tired." She said, changing the subject. "I guess I'll see you in the morning, Ringo." Ringo looked to her, then to Fox, and back, a look of understanding crossing his face. With a nod, he said "Okay." And went back to the couch, laying down and going to sleep with the others.


	7. Chapter 7

It was quiet as Falco awoke, leading him to believe that he was the first one up. But as he rose from his spot on the floor, he quickly observed that Ringo was nowhere to be seen, and Slippy was also gone, leaving both the couches vacant. Curious, he walked over behind the couches, where Fox and Krystal were huddled together with each other. This really was a precious moment. He cursed himself for not having a camera to show the others.

But an answer came soon enough. Peppy Hare yawned as he rose from the bed where he had slept. But before he could say anything, Falco quickly shushed him and pointed to the pair on the floor. Peppy could barely contain his chuckling as he reached for his glasses and put them on. Then he whispered to Falco, "Where's Slippy and, er, Ringo?" Falco didn't quite know, but the whispering, obviously, had been enough to wake Fox and Krystal. As they roused, they both opened their eyes, and the entire scene seemed frozen for a second as their orbs met, Fox's green and Krystal's blue.

Fox scrambled to his feet, while Krystal rose slowly. "Krystal, I-" The vixen shook her head. "Fox, don't worry about it. It was just something we did in our sleep." Falco noticed Fox was suddenly sweating a lot, and nodded his head knowingly in the leader's direction. Fox quickly shook the feeling off and looked around. "Where's Slippy?" He inquired. "I don't know," Piped up Falco, "But Ringo's MIA too." Fox shook his head, and was about to order a search when the door opened and Ringo came in with another. His companion was a ferret, albeit below average height for a ferret. He was about the same height as the rest of them.

"Everyone," Announced Ringo. "This is Edie Giovanni, the son of successful businessman Jack Giovanni." Falco's face expressed surprise. He didn't know he was Jack Giovanni's heir. Jack Giovanni was one of the most successful businessmen in the Lylat system. His company, Giovanni Technologies, was very wealthy, their products very in demand. So naturally, there were always people- pirates and bandits and the such- who were ready to ambush their transports in remote regions, steal the technology, sell it off for ridiculous amounts of money. Star Fox had at numerous points been hired to protect vessels owned by Mr. Giovanni from just those kinds of people. Naturally, he had a selected heir, but how Ringo knew him was a mystery.

Edie waved his greeting to them. "Hey, I've heard of you guys before. You know, my father hired you in the past to do stuff. He's training me to take over the company, so I know a thing or two about doing business." He walked over to Fox. "Fox McCloud, I presume?" Fox nodded. "Good! I think I might have some work for you to do. But wow, you guys did sleep late, it's almost time for lunch. There's a restaurant just down the street. It's on me." The fast-talking ferret offered. Falco didn't like the vibe this guy gave off, he seemed a little slimy, but if Ringo trusted him, so should he. Fox looked at him, as if looking for an answer to the offer. After an eye conversation with Falco, he looked back at Edie and said, "Yeah. We'll go for lunch."

They were all at the car waiting for Edie. He had said he needed to use the bathroom, so they had walked down to the car to wait for him. He seemed pretty likable for a big businessman in training. Then again, he was pretty young, and probably naive to the way the really big things worked. He was offering to buy lunch for all of them, which was a start. Finally, Edie came running out and apologized for taking so long. "Tourists." He said. "The place is swarming with 'em." Which was no lie. Their hotel was swamped with tourists looking for a piece of beautiful Aquas.

The fact that there were so many tourists made the following events even more disturbing. It started out as just rumbling, which could have been an earthquake, but that couldn't be. Because the city was anchored to the sea floor by a very strong support, making it one big platform. And those strong supports were built with gyroscopes to prevent earthquakes from affecting the city. It wasn't until moments afterward that they heard the deafening sound of shattering glass, burning metal, and screaming people all at the same time. The heat came last, the wave of searing heat. The blast knocked them all to the ground, and Falco was the first to look up.

Initially, he refused to accept what his vision was telling him. It had to be an illusion. But the horrified screams of the people around him confirmed the worst. A bomb had gone off in that building. A huge smoking hole consumed most of the top floors, and people could still be heard inside, panicking, certain that these were their own final minutes of life. By the time he finally recovered enough to look at the others, they were just as shocked as he. "Oh my God..." Uttered Slippy at the atrocity.

Fox first took charge. "Team, we've gotta see if there are any survivors." Falco looked incredulously at him. "Fox, it's a bomb! Anyone left in there is trapped, and if we go to help them, the whole place will come down on us too." Fox was resolute, though. "No. We have to try. We have to-" He was cut off by a shout of "Krystal, look out!" Falco dove and tackled Krystal to the ground, causing her to just avoid a falling piece of debris. As they got up, Fox helped. "You alright? Good. You and Falco come with me. Slippy and Peppy, go help the police else where. Ringo and Edie, go with them." He ordered. Ringo looked like he wanted to help Fox, Falco, and Krystal, but he did as he was told under the circumstances, as did Falco.

By the time he came to his senses, Fox and Krystal were already about to the entrance. He raced after them and shouted for them to slow down. They didn't. He finally reached the top of the steps and entered. He could only vaguely see the two. The heat was unbearable as pieces of the upper floors came crashing down through the ceiling. This was insane, thought Falco. There was no way they'd be able to get anybody out of here alive and in one piece.

He raced into the room they had gone into and found them trying to lift a vending machine off of several hapless civilians. They lifted it, and ordered the people to get moving toward the exit. Falco rushed into the hall with his teammates to watch and make sure they made it safely. But then things took a big turn for the worse. A section of the ceiling collapsed in front of them, blocking off the hallway. The only other way out was the stairs, which was suicide. They were trapped in here. Falco looked nervously at Fox and Krystal. "Fox?" He asked, looking for anything, any suggestion or hope to get them out of here. But for the first time, Fox didn't have the answer. "We wait." He said. Falco resigned himself and came to a crouch on the floor.

-------------------------------

Ringo came storming in through the door. "Ringo, what happened?" Asked Falco, concerned. "Katt dumped me. I knew she would, I-I saw it coming." Falco patted his friend on the back. "Well, there's bigger things in life than stuff like that, I guess." Ringo looked at him sullenly.

"Like what?"

"Like excitement. You know, thrill and all that. Better than sex."

"Not even you believe that."

"Maybe. Maybe not."

Falco was obviously trying to be witty. It wasn't working. "Katt and I...she was special, Falco. Why would she do that?" He asked. Shrugging, Falco gave his reply. "Katt's parents have been out and about a lot recently. That's probably got something to do with it. Stress or somethin'." The bird stretched and yawned. "I'm goin' out to grab some dinner. You wanna come?" The prospect only made Ringo more sullen. "Nah, I'll be okay." Falco walked out. "Suit yourself." He said. He did hope Ringo would get better.

-----------------------------


	8. Chapter 8

Fox kicked over a stool that was somehow still there in unbridled anger and frustration. But Falco figured it probably wasn't because he was stuck in a burning hole with the threat of dying. It was probably because he knew there were people he couldn't help. Fox was a hero by nature, the thought of being unable to help people drove him crazy, and Falco knew it. The rage showed in his eyes. But now Falco had something to say. He felt he needed to admit it, to relieve the stress of the thoughts now passing through his mind.

"Fox." His voice was slightly hoarse and dry from the heat and flames around them. Fox turned to him and snapped, "What?"

"I need to tell you something." Fox sighed. "Now?" Falco nodded and took a deep breath, then continued. "Before I joined the team, you know what I did, yeah?"

"Yeah, you were a vigilante, I recruited you for your piloting skills."

"Well, the reason I was a vigilante was to get rid of people who were like me."

Fox peered at him. "What do you mean?"

"Fox, I'm an ex-convict. My prison sentence expired a few months before you found me."

Fox and Krystal both looked at the bird with their mouths slightly open for a few moments before the wreckage sealing them in burst and three fire-fighters came in with Slippy and the others. "Guys, they're alive!" He shouted to Peppy and Ringo, who quickly appeared as well.

"Mr. McCloud, you need to get clear of here now. This place is coming down." Said one of the firefighters. Fox nodded after taking a last reluctant look at the burning building. The security forces helped them escape, then escorted them to an emergency vehicle, and they drove off.

"We only managed to save a few people. The rest died in there." Reported Fox to Peppy, his fist clenched in uncontrollable anger. "Now, Fox, that ain't true." Said Peppy, trying to console his friend. "The rescue workers got a bunch of people out." Fox's anger subsided a little, but he was still obviously bothered by his inability to save innocent people. Then he looked at Falco, and for that moment, Falco wished he could simply slump away and be nothing.

But the request came inevitably. "Falco, tell them what you told us." Slippy and Peppy looked intently at their wingmate as he looked around for any relief from this, the thing which he least wanted to do. After seeing he would get no relief, he spoke. "I was in prison for three years. My sentence expired a few months before Fox found me." They both looked a little stunned. "You're a prison convict?" Asked Slippy disbelievingly. "EX-convict." Corrected Falco. Fox put a hand on his forehead, demonstrating his stress to everyone.

"Falco, how could you keep this a secret from everyone?" Falco just looked at the ground. He really didn't want to talk about this anymore, but then he remembered who'd been fighting alongside him since he joined the team, and that he owed them at least that for being there always.

"I didn't think it was important. I was a hoodlum before I went in. But prison changed me. It beat the insubordination out of me. When I got out..." He looked into all their eyes, trying to decipher how they were really seeing this. But he stopped dead when he met the eyes of Ringo. There he saw only regret and bad memories, most likely the same thing everyone saw in his own eyes. Ringo knew more about Falco's life, pain, and inner workings than anyone, ever. A friend who had been there since the beginning, that was him. But talking about this with Ringo around, it truly made him sick. Ringo had been in jail for a while, too, after all, but he definitely wasn't about to spring THAT on everyone.

Before he could continue where he had left off, a beeping came from the main console. Fox moved over and pushed the button to accept the incoming transmission. It was probably a message from the CDF (Cornerian Defense Force) about the bombing. In that case, Fox would probably want to hear it. But it wasn't the authorities. When the figure that immediately appeared on the main screen started talking, everyone on the ship instantly stopped breathing.

"Hello, Star Fox. I trust you found my present earlier. A shame you were clear when the charge was set off. In any case, I have a message for you, and you can relay it to your pitiful General too, if the old hag is still alive. Tell everyone you wish that I'll be waiting on Fichina. But keep this in mind. I want the four of you to show up, unarmed. You, the bird, the frog, and the hare. If anyone else comes, more people will die than the four of you. It's good to see you, Star Fox. Tell the good general that I called."

The face faded, replaced by blackness. The four mentioned by the figure gaped with open mouths while the others looked to them for an explanation. Even after the man was gone, they all looked at each other, turning pale. They'd just seen a ghost. Except this man wasn't a ghost, he was as real as the bomb he had set off in the city earlier.

Andross Oikonny was back.


	9. Chapter 9

**Several Days Later**

Halman Square was deathly quiet today, completely silent. Probably because of the frigid temperatures. The weather outside was freezing today. Not that many people lived on Fichina anyway, save for the cold-natured creatures that simply couldn't live anywhere warmer.

Fox McCloud stood with the rest of his team in the snow-covered square, looking around for any sign of life, but found none. He was wearing a heavy coat and a scarf around his face to keep him warm. Even his warm fur wouldn't absorb all this cold. The others were in similar garb. Falco and Slippy were particularly bundled up, as they didn't even have natural defense against cold like Fox and Peppy did. The rest of the team had stayed on the Great Fox. This was between them and Andross.

It was shortly after receiving his ominous message that they had figured it out. He wanted them because they were the four who had toppled his reign years before: the original Star Fox team, or at least the first one headed by Fox. General Pepper was too sick from his infection by the Aparoids to offer any assistance, and since they didn't currently work for the CDF, the feds demanded that they send a unit to take down Andross here. Luckily, Fox and co. had arrived before the CDF had. They would jeopardize everything if they tried to force a settlement on Andross. He had threatened the galaxy once, and this might be the only chance the team would get to stop him from doing so again.

They walked to the center of the square, looking around desperately for the figure who threatened them. As they looked around, a voice spoke, barely distinguishable through the sharp, biting cries of the wind hitting their faces.

"Freeze!" He cried. He and another figure, both of them wearing ski-masks, approached with assault rifles trained on the four. After coming closer, they clarified that they were not friendly by ordering Fox to drop to his knees facing away from them. This was an execution. Fox had seen it before, but this was the first time he'd been at the butt end of one. Quite frankly, he really didn't like it. As the first figure placed the barrel of his rifle against the back of Fox's skull, another, deeper voice resonated, this one clear, even through the wind. The others watched in awe as a man stepped forward.

"How fitting, don't you think, Fox? Defeated on Venom, my own home planet, and again on Sauria. I have both of you to thank for that." He said, referring to Fox and Falco, the latter of whom snickered at that.

"Quiet, bird! You're next!" Exclaimed Andross, before continuing. "In any case, this farce is over. Kill him now." He ordered to his gunmen. A gunshot did ring out, but it was from the far end of the square, and not from Andross' henchmen. Rather this shot was directed AT the henchmen, both of them dropping dead from the two perfect shots. Andross looked around in a lack of understanding for a moment, before a third shot rent the air in it's wake into two clean pieces, and hammered right through the primate's chest.

Andross, however, while hit, did not die, but rather stood and fled towards the building, panicking. Fox picked up one of the two goons' assault rifles, and was about to go after Andross into the nearby building when the shooter who had saved him stepped forward. It was a female, which meant it had to be Krystal. It was difficult to tell, however, as she too was wearing face gear. "K-Krystal?" Asked Fox as the others watched impatiently. The shooter gave a confused expression and unraveled the cloth surrounding the majority of her face.

"Nope, never heard of her." Said the feline that stared all of them right in the eyes. The only one who recognized her was Falco. "Katt! What are you doing here?" He said as he rushed in front of Fox to her.

"It doesn't matter. You have to get after Andross. I'll get help." She replied. Falco reluctantly nodded and followed as Fox ran into the building after the mass murderer.

They had tracked Andross here, to the twelfth floor of the building. He just hoped he didn't have a trap ready to spring. If there was a bomb of any sort set to blow here, it would take them out. But they were hot on the monkey's trail, and he wouldn't detonate it at his own expense. But at long last, they came to an area where the injured terrorist disappeared. As they speculated as to which way he had gone, Fox signaled them to fan out and check multiple directions.

Fox took the straight-forward route. He rounded a corner and heard the shuffling of his enemy's feet. Andross went through a door, through which Fox immediately followed. He found himself on a rooftop ledge. Adjacent to him was none other than Andross himself, looking desperately over the railing at the security forces surrounding the building at it's base. He slowly spun to face Fox, who now had an assault rifle trained on him. No matter what, Fox couldn't shake the feeling that something looked wrong about this Andross, that he didn't hold that same confident malevolence he had years ago.

"Stop, Fox! You're making a mistake! I-"

"-Shut up! You killed all those people in the Lylat War! You killed my father, you killed my mother, you killed all those innocent people on Aquas! Now, Andross Oikonny, in the name of the Lylatian people, I hereby execute you for your crimes!" He pulled the trigger and held it there until Andross was a smoking pile of once-bipedal flesh, even after one last begging cry of 'STOP!' was heard from the now-dead terrorist.

Falco emerged onto the platform just in time to see Fox standing over Andross' dead corpse. He gaped in relieved awe at the evil man and the hero who had now slain him three times. He walked silently to the railing and looked down at the media circus below. It felt kind of like one other time when he had killed a terrorist leader, but that was another story. Things felt very final. Without saying a word, he and Fox glanced at each other, then began on their way back down.

When they emerged from the stairs, it was as they had expected: cameras and police officers were everywhere, reporters looking for a piece of this breaking action. But right now, Falco Lombardi had one person on his mind. He looked around for her until she found them. When she broke through the crowd, the two immediately ran into an embrace that it seemed would last forever.

"Katt, where have you been? I've looked for you all over!" He said. "Just hanging around." Was her reply. But there was something else on her mind as well.

"Falco, do you know who I met when I encountered the rest of your team?" A stone formed in Falco's stomach as he remembered dreading this meeting. As he began to fumble out the name, she continued. "That's right, Falco. I ran into Ringo. You mind explaining what the hell Ringo's doing here?"

"Katt, Ringo's matured. He's over what happened. I've gotten over it too. I think it's time we went back to the way things were before all the bad stuff. Can we do that? Please?" Katt looked at the ground.

"Yeah, I think it'll be okay." She said. Their lips met and they held that embrace for the longest time.

When they finally separated, they began walking toward where they had come from when they were met with Ringo. As the three walked to their inevitable reunion, Falco felt a new light shining on life. Everything would be okay. They may slip a time or two, but they would take it one step at a time. Everything was going to be okay.

From a corner, Edie Giovanni watched the unfolding scene with interest. Andross was dead? Excellent. One step closer. He punched some figures into his datapad, then pocketed the item and walked off without a word.

Phew, spent all day writing and editing this chapter. The previous one was mostly done when I picked this up again anyway, so most of my time was spent on this one. Messy, I know, and probably a little rushed, especially with reintroducing and killing Andross in a single chapter, but believe me, it's all got a purpose. After vacation, I'll continue. The story is nearing it's climax, so keep reading and reviewing, please!


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